Flickering Memories
by chickfly317
Summary: As the truth starts to comes to light how far will some people go to make sure its buried
1. Chapter 1

A shrill scream cut into the silent house. It was followed by heavy uncontrollable sobs and the hasty footsteps moving towards them.

Gasping for breath she realise she was in her bedroom, sat in the middle of her bed. Her face was streaked with tears and she tried desperately to control her sobs.

Her bedroom door swung open abruptly causing her to jump slightly before she told herself of for being so stupid. Her two friends paused for a second in the doorway before making their way over to their distressed friend pulling her into a hug. She couldn't control herself anymore and just slumped against them sobbing freely.

Chas was sat on the end of the bed directly in front of Katie with her arms around her and Katie's head buried in her shoulder. Jennie was sat at the side of them her arms wrapped around both of them.

"hey, hey it's ok, it's ok," Chas spoke unusually softly into the back of her lose blond curls.

Chas and Jennie exchanged worried glances over her shoulder. They could feel her shaking between sobs. Neither of them had ever seen her anywhere near as distressed as this before and it was worrying them.

"Katie sweetheart, it's just a dream. It's gone now. It wasn't real." Jennie tried to comfort but instead Katie pulled away from them looking down at her clasped hands in her lap whilst trying but failing to stiff her sobs.

"Their dead," was all she managed to say in-between a couple of sobs.

"Who's dead, no love, nobody's dead." Then Chas stiffened. They were dead. Chas caught Jennie's eyes that had the same dreaded look as hers.

"That was months ago do you remember." They got a shaky nod before she couldn't hold it in any longer.

"I'm sorry," she was crying freely now, "I'm so sorry."

"Huni, you've got nothing to be sorry for it wasn't you fault," Chas paused to take a deep breath, "It was Carl. You know that."

Katie shook her head violently, "no, no, it was my fault." She admitted.

Both girls were stunned into silence.

"Katie, I want you to listen to me, I don't know what you were dreaming about but I know for a fact that it was not your fault. Look at me." Katie's scared uncertain and teary eyes found Chas's brown strong and certain ones. "I know it wasn't you fault." Katie seemed relieved and nodded trying to take it in but then she remembered.

"It is." Her voice was barely a whisper. She was no longer sobbing but tears still ran silently down her face.

"I know it is."

"How on earth could it possible have been your fault, did you make Carl do it. No I don't think so, he did it all by himself in the name of revenge it had nothing to do with you."

"Carl." She suddenly remembered Carl her eyes going wide with the realisation. He was rotting in prison because of her. Suddenly she threw back the covers running out of her bedroom leaving her two very confused friends behind. She found it, her phone.

Just as she was about to ring the phone was snatched out of her hand. "Katie," she tried frantically to get her phone back she had to make this right, "calm down. It's the middle of the night who are you calling?" Jennie stood with the phone behind her back wanting desperately to know what had gotten into her friend.

"The police, I've got to tell them the truth." She said still attempting to rescue her phone.

"Which is?" Chas prompted.

Katie look down she was in her pyjamas they all were. Hers where light blue with little cartoon cows all over them. They where the only long sleeved pyjamas she had and therefore the reason she had been wearing them even though it was too warm. Both Chas and Jennie were wearing summer pyjamas revealing both arms and legs something she would be too ashamed to do at the moment. She didn't know where to start. How could she tell them? They were going to hate her.

"Katie." Jennie spoke softly lifting Katie's hands into her own and Katie from her from the thoughts.

She couldn't she just couldn't. Snatching her hands back she looked up not to their eyes but just up, "I-I can't," and within a split second she had open the front door and bolted out, bare foot into the dark street. Leaving nothing but an open door and the warm nights air in her place.


	2. Chapter 2

**Andy**

"Katie?" I wasn't sure if I was dreaming or hallucinating because there was no way Katie, my Katie was sat in the middle of a field at four in the morning. I walked carefully over to her and knelt in front of her in an attempt to catch her attention but I found her once full of life eyes cold and unresponsive. She hadn't even noticed me.

"Katie," I repeated as I took her hands in mine. This shook her from her thoughts and she jumped up scurrying backwards a couple of paces her eyes and body language revelling how frightened she was.

I was stunned by Katie's reaction and froze for a couple of seconds staring at Katie who was now shaking violently.

"Katie, its ok it's only me, its Andy."

"Andy?" Katie's voice was barely above a whisper but it was obvious that the thought of him being near had calmed her.

"Yes, its me, its me," I said, my voice soothing as I slowly stepped towards her. Neither of them needed to say anything else.

They just fell into each others embrace. Katie had calm considerably but Andy could still feel her shaking against him.

I lowered my head resting it against hers inhaling her scent and feeling her soft hair against my cheek. I couldn't help thinking how much I loved her and how much I had wanted to just hold her in my arms. My wish had come true but I felt guilty because I was taking pleasure from this moment when she was so obviously hurting.

After a while we end up sitting side by side in the field watching the sun rise, my arm protectively around her shoulders and eventually she rested her head on my shoulder. We sat in silent's not having spoken since we had started hugging almost an hour ago.

"I think we better get you home before Chas and Jennie go on the rampage," Katie looked up and smiled tiredly nodding in agreement and I put my arm around her waist to pull her to her feet but Katie winced and pulled my arm away from her back. I was immediately worried, "what's wrong? Are you hurt? Let me see." And before I gave her chance to do anything I'd moved behind her and lifted the back of her pyjama top up revelling a couple of big nasty purple bruises. Now I wasn't just worried I was furious I wanted to know who had done this but when I looked to Katie her head was bowed and she had silent tears running down her soft cheeks. Suddenly all the fury was lost and all I wanted to do was pull her into my arms and make everything better. I moved to sit beside her once more only this time I carefully pulled her into my lap and sat there rocking her and stroking her hair lost in my own thoughts. When I next looked down Katie had fallen asleep and this time I didn't fail to notice the winter pyjamas she was wearing and carefully rolled the sleeves up to revel yet more bruises but this time they were finger shaped. Someone had pinned her down. Tears filled my eyes; I couldn't believe this had happened to Katie. After a while I regained my composure and decided what I was going to do.

**Chas**

"We've looked everywhere, I think we need to call the police," Jennie stated for the third time in three minuets.

"No, we need to give her more time it's only been just over three hours, she'll come back when she's ready," I try to reason just hoping I'm right.

"If not the police then lets at least call Nick."

"Ok, lets…" I was interrupted by the front door being opened and Andy walking in with a lifeless Katie in his arms.

"Katie, what have you done to her." I immediately lash out fearing the worse.

"Ssssshhhhh, she's asleep." Andy said annoyance all over his face as he moved over to the sofa and place Katie on it. She stirred slightly but didn't wake and we all turned to look at each other.

"I'm sorry, we were worried. How did you find her? We looked everywhere," I whispered lather loudly.

"She was up by the caravan just sat in the middle of the field staring off into space. I thought I was dreaming at first but it was her."

Andy looked worriedly over to Katie tightly clasping his hands together.

"What's wrong?"

"Is she still going out with the cop?" he spat out.

"eeerrr, yer, what's it got to do with you?" I wondered what on earth any of this had to do with Nick.

"What's this got to do with Nick?" Jennie sounded annoyed.

"There's something wrong I've never seen her like this before. Has she told you? I want to know how she got the bruises, who gave her the bruises." Andy was now sitting by Katie's head and moved a strand of hair out of her face.

"Bruises? What bruises?"

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed. She's covered in them. I just want to know who. It was him wasn't it. I know it was. you wait till I get my hands on him" His voice was angry but he kept the sound low at the same time.

I didn't know what to say I look over to Jennie and she was as clueless as me.

"Look," Andy was no longer calm as he lifted Katie's top revelling her bruised back. "Now you can't deny it, tell me who. No wait tell me where to find him?"

I pulled back in horror. Andy was right, how had I not noticed. Had she been behaving differently? I thought back to the last couple of times I'd seen her but she had been spending a lot of time with Nick recently. It just had to be him.

I looked back down at Katie. Andy had pulled her top down again and had a stray tear rolling down his cheek. Why hadn't she come to us? We would have helped.

"Hold on, how do we know its not you?" I couldn't help my self we had all seen what he had done to Jo and Katie was the only one who stood by him. Was that because she was scared? How long had it been going on?

"Me, I could never do that to Katie. Not Katie."

"What and it was alright to do it to Jo." I shouted back.

"No I didn't say that. Do you really think that if it was me I would have come here? I want to help her, to stop this happening. I love her, I always have."

At this point Katie stirred and looked up to find us argument paused looking down at her with concern.

"What?" she spoke groggily then sat up looking from me to Andy to Jennie and back again wondering what was going on.

"What's going on?" she spoke more sternly this time.

Jennie moved over to her, sitting on her knees in front of her.

"Were just a little worried about you." Little was an understatement we were a lot worried. I hadn't forgotten what she had said earlier about the fire being her fault. Katie shifted uncomfortably removing her eyes from Jennie's.

"Katie, you took off we were worried. What happened?" Jennie sounded calm and I don't know how she did it. I was anything but calm and neither was Andy he was pacing back and forth in-between the stairs and the front door.

"I had a dream, that's all. It confused me which is why I ran."

"Do you think were stupid," Andy had snapped and even I could see that his out burst wasn't going to get us anywhere.

Katie shot up, "you have no idea what you saw. You don't know what you're talking about. It's none of your business," and with that she had shot past us and was sprinting up the stairs.

"Well that was great; you've just made it worse. She's not going to talk to us now, not after that." I was fuming. Jennie was doing great and he had to storm in with his huge feet making it worse. What were we going to do now? How where we going to get her to open up?

"I'll talk to her."

"No, I think you've done enough damage." I snapped back. He looked hurt but I didn't care. How could he be so thoughtless?

We sat for a while in silents, each of us trying to figure out the best way to talk to Katie.

"You coming," I looked up and saw Jennie at the bottom of the stairs. She didn't have to say anymore I knew what she meant.

"Yer, lets get this over with."

"Katie, it's only us." Jennie spoke quietly as we pushed the door to her room open. Katie was curled up on her bed with her back to the door. She didn't answer. We sat next to her but she didn't acknowledge our presents.

"Huni, Andy told us about the bruises. You want to explain?"

"Andy doesn't know what he's talking about he just jumped to conclusions. I fell that's all, nothing more to it."

"If you just fell what about the bruises on your arms." I turned to see Andy stood in the doorway his arms cross over his chest.

"It's not what you think. I promise I wouldn't let that happen."

"What else are we meant to think, really Katie we've hardly seem you for weeks."

"If you don't come up with a better explanation than that I'm going over to that copper's right now to kick him into the middle of next week."

"That's not helping Andy."

"Stop." We all turned to Katie. "It's not what you think can't we just leave it at that."

"No, you're hurt; we can't just leave it at that. We want to know what's going on and were not leaving until you tell us." I sounded strong and determined even if I didn't feel it.

"Fine," she sounded defeated, "fine, I'll tell you b-but you have to promise not to hate me."


	3. Chapter 3

Katie was just relieved to have Andy's strong and safe arms around her. She knew how silly that might have seemed to some people because of the way he had treated Jo but he had never acted that way towards her. He was always her Andy the Andy she had loved since she was fourteen and in her eyes he would never be anything but that. This is (if she was honest with herself) where she always wanted to be. Here is where she felt safe; like nothing could touch her and that everything was going to be alright.

She'd drifted off having the most peaceful sleep she'd had since the fire which claimed Viv and Terry's lives. She was so deeply asleep that she didn't feel Andy pick her up and carry her back to the cottage. She was only woken by the sound of raised voices around her and now they'd seen the bruises they wanted the truth and she would have to tell them. She knew what they thought and they were wrong and she couldn't have them carry on believing that just because she didn't want to be seen as weak.

**Jennie**

"Of course were not going to hate you Katie, why would you think that, we love you."

"Because I've been lying to you all, keeping secrets. I know that it wasn't Carl who started the fire. It's my fault that Viv and Terry died and that their children don't have parents. It's my fault your mum lost her husband and it's my fault that Carl's rotting in prison. It's all my fault. He was after me the whole time and he doesn't care who gets hurt just as long as he gets what he wants, me."

We all sat staring at her not believing what she had said.

"Who?"

"I don't know." She got up and started digging though the top draw of her dresser finally pulling out a hand full of letters. "He just sends me letters and phone calls; sometimes there are even notes on my bed. I don't know what to do. I only found out last night that it was him, I always thought it was Carl but he bragged about it, it made me feel sick. He was doing it all for me because were meant to be together. He killed them for me, so that we could be together forever. I don't even know who he is but he knows so much about me."

"How long has this been going on?" Chas found her voice first. Katie looked down at the pile of letter coving her bed. "How long?" Chas repeated more sternly this time.

"It was him with the phone call's before the fire, he was the one who broke in."

"You've known all this time?" I questioned.

"Wait you've never met him?" Andy butted in.

"No,"

"What about the bruises then," he sounded calmer this time.

"That's defiantly not what you think. It's just, well, after the fire I couldn't sleep probably. I started having these dreams and they've just been getting worse. I've been sleep waking and thrashing around in my sleep. This was my first night sleeping here in about a month. Normal I stay with Nick. I got the bruises from Nick holding me down so I didn't; he was trying to stop me from hurting my self. He was just trying to help me, honest." She looked relieved to have finally told us but at the same time she looked vulnerable and ashamed to have us know.

"Oh, Katie you could have told us that. We'd have tried to help you to." I said pulling her into another hug. I looked at Andy over Katie's shoulder. I couldn't tell what he was thinking. He wore an expression that I'd never seen on him before and I couldn't work out what it was.

"Have you told him?" Chas piped up from behind me. Katie withdrew from the hug placing her self down on the bed. She shook her head looking nervously between us expecting to be told off. I couldn't help but let out a small but inappropriate smile at this.

"Were not going to tell you off." She smiled weakly at my comment before her gaze fell onto the pile of letter in front of her.

"I will," she sounded beaten, like a small child being forced into something they didn't want to do. "I don't know what they can do, if anything." Her small voice barely caring to my ears.

"They will be able to do something, they will find him." We sat in silence for a while before she spoke out again. This time she was bolder and her voice was clear.

"I know I should have told them and I will I can't let Carl rot in jail when it wasn't him. I thought he would get bored and stop but he never did he just kept going and every time it got bigger and better than the time before or so I thought until I knew that it was him who set the fire. I don't know what he's going to do next. I'm probably putting you all in danger right now by just being in the same house as you."

"Don't be silly, we're going to get this all sorted out. Every things going to be alright, all you have to do is talk to the police and they will find who ever it is who is responsible for all or this," Chas gestured to the letters which were lying in front of her on the bed, "and we will all be right behind you."

**Sorry this had taken so long, I've got completely stuck with this story and any help would be hugely appreciated. Thanks for reading. **


	4. Chapter 4

Four people sat around the round kitchen table, coffees in hands. It had been a long night for all of them and it was beginning to show. Although they were apprehensive about what today would bring they couldn't completely fight off their tiredness resulting in the stiffed yawn here and there. They had been patiently waiting for the best part of half an hour for the police to arrive and with every minuet the tension in the room seemed to rise and was quickly becoming unbearable. As the seconds loudly ticked by, defined by the kitchen clock, in the overly quiet room Katie got visibly more nervous and distressed.

She had gathered up all her courage and phoned the police but was becoming to regret the decision more and more. She had called Nick almost immediately after hanging up from the phone call to the police and he was now one of the four people sat around the table watching Katie pace the living room wringing her hands together. Her demeanour was completely different from those sat less than a meter away from her.

While Katie was the sole focus of everyone around the table, whilst they watched her pace nervously; her mind was going over and over what was about to happen, what had already happened and how that man, who ever he was, would react when he found out what she had done. She turned to pace back to the other side of the room just like she had done endlessly for the past half hour.

"Katie, will you just sit down your making me nervous." Nick spoke out too roughly for the situation. Andy, Jennie and Chas all took their eyes off Katie for the first time and were now staring at Nick; they couldn't believe his harsh words but fortunately they seemed to have no effect on Katie who was too lost in thought to hear what he had said. Nick shrugged an apology across the table before all attention was returned to the pacing blond.

The shrill sound of the doorbell rang through the quiet house suddenly bring it to life. No longer was the only sound the ticking of the clock and the shuffling of feet on carpet, instead soft murmurs came from the table as the occupants tried to decide who would be the one to answer the door. After just moments of this conversation where their eyes never left Katie - who had now stopped pacing and was looking wide eyed at the front door as if a monster was about to burst through it - Chas rose and made her way to the front door. She pulled it open reluctantly all the time wondering how Katie was going to cope with the interrogation they would give her, whether they meant to give her one or not.

"Hi," Chas spoke heavily.

"Morning," one of the two police officers replied as they step over the thresh hold. They immediately became aware of the tension in the house.

Jennie quickly stood from her seat and offered to make drinks, even though their full cups sat on the table, cold and untouched. Whilst Jennie and Andy scooted off to the kitchen to make drinks the policeman and woman introduced themselves to Katie and acknowledged Nick before taking a seat next to Katie on the sofa.

Katie sat in the corner of the sofa bringing her knees up to her chest curling herself into a ball. She looked like a small child with her dishevelled hair and blue cow print pyjamas and Chas hovered above the two police officers fighting herself about going over to her and comforting her or not. Deciding that she couldn't bear to see her friend looking so distraught and not do anything Chas moved over to the sofa and placed herself between Katie and the police offices.

"Hi Katie I'm PC Trent and this is PC Cert. Can you start from the beginning for us." The young brunet PC's voice reflecting her soft features. Katie nodded in response but seemed to be collecting her thoughts.

"It started months ago," she started whispering into her hands, which were perched on top of her knees. She was picking nervously and one of her thumbs, concentrating on that for a moment before continuing, "the phone calls in the middle of the night. They scared Jennie but I wasn't to bothered I just thought it was prank callers, messing around, nothing more serious. But then, then there was the break in. I was scared after that, but that was only the beginning. After that there were more phone calls and then the fire. I had no idea the fire had anything to do with it until last night when I found a letter on my bed. He- he was boasting about it." A tear rolled down her pale cheek. "Since then I've got letters and phone calls. He can get in and out of this house leaving messages on my bed and moving my things around. I just don't know what to do any more." Katie's voice was broken and she looked up for the first time, her eyes finding Chas instantly as if her last statement was a question for her.

"Hey, hey, you're doing the right thing." Chas spoke as Katie's bottom lip started to quiver and she attempted to move further back into the sofa. The room had been silent as Katie spoke but now movement erupted in both the kitchen and living room. The clanging of mugs could be heard as Jennie and Andy moved around the kitchen and Nick, who was still sat at the table, started collecting the disused mugs on the table, not knowing what else to do with himself. The sudden noise to the house was comforting for everyone in it. They had been sat in the quiet for too long and now found the need to be noisy just for the sake of it.

After a while, and a lot of banging around, seven cups of steaming hot tea emerged from the kitchen, accompanied by a plate of custard creams. They rested on the small coffee table in the middle of the lounge preparing the occupants for the sensitive questions that lay ahead.

**I've got majorly stuck on this story so any help or suggestions would be saving it from a life of incompletion :() also I'm looking for a beta-reader for a new harry potter fic I'm starting so anyone who's interested please let me know :D thanks for reading. **


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